Ethan, Daniel and Alice were in the study. Daniel was sitting staring intently at the computer.

"Daniel, you've had your hour. Do your homework."

Ethan was sat sorting invoices. Alice had told him of Daniels condition earlier.

"I'm busy." he replied insolently.

Not this crap again. She thought. She dealt with this everyday. If she thought the computer triggered it she would stop him going on it but everything triggered it.

"Daniel, we had this discussion yesterday. I ask you to do something you do it!"

"I will mum later."

"Daniel NOW!"

"No."

She pulled the plug.

He picked up the wireless mouse and threw it at Alice. She ducked just in time.

"Dammit Daniel!" she was just about getting to the end of her tether.

Suddenly an elastic band hit Daniel in the face.

He turned and looked at Ethan angrily. "What you do that for?"

Ethan flicked another.

"Stop that!" Daniel demanded.

Ethan flicked yet another one. Daniel picked up the stapler and threw it. It clattered off the wall.

Ethan laughed and flicked another elastic band.

Daniel roared and launched at Ethan who easily restrained him.

"What's your problem kid? You threw stuff first. It looked like fun!"

"You don't throw stuff at me!" Daniel hissed. Ethan released him.

"Alice leave us alone please. Me and Daniel are gonna talk. Man to man. He smiled reassuringly. "Then he'll do his homework like a good little Trevanion!"

"I'll be outside." the only reason she agreed is because maybe Ethan is what Daniel needed. A strong male role model. Closed the door.

Ethan looked at Daniel he was his fathers son alright. His face pure Danny. Even with the blue eyes.

"Right kid, seems I need to teach you the do's and don'ts of what is acceptable to do and say to your mum!"

"I do and say what I want!"

Ethan flicked another band at him.

"Stop that!" Daniel yelled.

"Not nice is it?" Ethan asked. "Having people throw stuff at you when all they ask them to do is something reasonable. Like stop flicking elastic bands. And doing your homework!"

"She's stupid!" Daniel said.

"She's your mum!"

"SO!"

"You should love her. Take care of her. She doesn't have your dad. You're the man of the house now. You only get one mother and when she is gone. That's IT! And I WON'T allow you to treat yours like that!" he said the last sentence coldly.

"Nothing to do with you!" Daniel told him.

"See Daniel it is! Your mum and dad took me in when I needed love and stability. And now it is my chance to repay them! You'll treat your mother right if it kills me!"

"No I won't I'll do what I want!"

"Ok then Dee Jay, tell me this. How would you feel if your mum died right now? In a nasty and evil way. How would you feel if she was helping you when she died. And she died this second. And the last thing you said and did were nasty words and throwing things? You know something, your dad would be ashamed of you!"

Daniel stormed from the room tears in his eyes. Ethan sat thinking of what he said. He'd projected what he went through a little bit too much there! I mean the kid had ADHD so it wasn't something he could control. His training had came in handy at the beginning but had flew out of the window when he'd heard Daniel had talked about Alice. He just didn't get how lucky he was. He was about to go and say sorry when he heard Daniels voice talking to Alice. Saying he was sorry and loved her. And he was man of the house and was gonna take care of her from now on coz that's what men do. Alice appeared at the study door moments later. He was stacking invoices.

"Ethan what did you say to him?"

"Nothing just talked a little."

"Don't give me that Ethan. He apologised and hugged me. He hasn't hugged me in 2 years and as for saying sorry. He's never said that before."

"I just gave him a nudge in the right direction. The fact that I'm a therapist helped some." he went back to sorting invoices. "You haven't had it easy with him have you?"

She shook her head.

"He seems calm. 'Til he doesn't get his way. Is his type severe?"

"Moderate."

"Is he medicated?"

"No I won't do that to him!" Alice said passionately. "I just can't control him at the best of times."

"Your great with him. Give him what he needs. Even though you knew how he'd react you still turned the computer off. that's what he needs consistency. it's a slow log road but if you stick with it he'll get there! Your problem is he's 7 years old with above average intelligence. It's trying to control him without stifling that intelligence."

"Yeah I spoke to doctors. Tried to get him involved sporting activities. He just isn't bothered by them."

"What does he like?" Ethan asked.

"Animals. He loves going down the surgery with me."

"We could make him a reward system with that. Especially if it's something that hold s a high motivation for him. Like lashing out is an automatic no visit. But he gets ticks for like not yelling and doing as he is told and not hitting. Like maybe 1 tick is like one minute. But if he misbehaves his ticks can be taken away." Ethan was mumbling away to himself in full therapist mode. Lost in his idea. He than looked up at Alice. "Ignore me I've only been qualified 5 minutes. It's rubbish anyway."

"No Ethan I think it's a really good idea. He has something to work towards. Focus on. Instead of him being angry all the time. You don't even know him yet and you thought of something that will work. You already made him apologise."

He didn't know how to react to the praise so he shrugged.

"Alice have you got the number for the local fire department? I'm thinking of volunteering. If they need me you know. I may as well be useful!

"I'll ask Dupe he'll know." Alice said.

"Thanks. But I'll ask him. My friend Natalie is on her way too."

"And are there gonna be any wedding bells in the future?" Alice hinted.

"For Natalie maybe. Not for me. I am happily single and staying that way for the moment. You only need to be burned once before you learn to stay away from fire."

He cursed his loose tongue as he looked at Alice's sympathetic face.

"Look if Lexi hurt you you shouldn't cut yourself off from relationships."

"To be honest Alice I look at woman and they don't interest me. It really freaks me out. I mean I should be walking round drooling over woman and I look and think oh well she looks nice but I'm not bothered. I'm worried theirs something wrong with me. I was starting to worry that I was gay but thankfully I wasn't looking at men either!"

"You'll know when you met her!" Alice walked from the room.

He nodded. "He'd knew when he met Lexi. Maybe it was best if he left again. He couldn't deal with seeing her in Evan's arms. Or should he try and win her back? Did he want her back? That was the one thing he didn't know he'd know if he kissed her! One little kiss. He could imagine Lexi's reaction too oh Lex can I have a kiss. O why coz I'm trying to decided whether or not to steal you from your boyfriend. She'd stab him with a rusty knife! He was fairly sure he was over her but if that was true why couldn't he stand seeing her in Evan's arms. Maybe he could try and have a relationship with Nats? He shook his head. That was far too weird. She was practically his sister. Eeewww he creeped himself out there. He filed the invoices and went in search of Dupe.

Found him, they were soon walking through the bush.

"I should warn you the fire chief won't let you start. Even as a volunteer. Your young, sure of yourself and cocky. In other words a major threat. And that scar too proves that your willing to do anything to save someone."

"How'd you know?"

"I can tell by the type of scar. I burnt myself plenty but not to that extent."

"I just want to get busy with a job. I don't wanna be the leader of course not. But I worry if I end up bored then I might be tempted to leave again. I've applied for a couple of therapists jobs over in Jo'burg if not it'll have to be the fire department."

A/N filler chapter really nothing important happened here except eth considering stealing lex away and telling daniel how it is!